Biography
Javor Gardev, born in 1972 in Sofia, holds an MPhil in Philosophy from Sofia University and an MFA in Directing from the National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts. Recognized as one of Bulgaria's leading directors, he has staged over forty-five productions both domestically and internationally, with performances showcased in cities such as Sofia, Berlin, Paris, Lille, Bern, Gdansk, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Lisbon, Rotterdam, and Utrecht. His repertoire includes works like William Shakespeare's "Hamlet" and "King Lear," Edward Albee's "The Play About the Baby" and "The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?" (which Albee personally endorsed), Heiner Müller's "Quartet," Jean Genet's "The Maids," Peter Weiss's "Marat/Sade," Martin McDonagh's "The Pillowman" and "A Behanding in Spokane," Tracy Letts's "Killer Joe," and Ethan Coen's "Almost an Evening."
Gardev’s feature film debut, *Zift* (2008), received nineteen awards and special mentions both in Bulgaria and internationally. He won the "Silver St. George" for Best Director in the Main Competition at the 30th Moscow International Film Festival. *Zift* was selected for fifty-four international film festivals, including the Toronto International Film Festival 2008 (Official Selection, Discovery). It was Bulgaria's official submission for the 2008 Academy Award category for Best Foreign Language Film and was part of the Official Selection for the European Film Academy Awards in 2008. Until 2009, it remained the highest-grossing Bulgarian feature film of the past two decades. Since 2009, Gardev has been a member of the European Film Academy.
Gardev’s works, even those appearing simple in concept, consistently exhibit multi-layered depth and reflection. His artistic approach is unconventional and continually innovative. In addition to his extensive theatre career, he has directed radio dramas and created performance art and video art projects.
11 wins and 5 nominations
